Christmas at The Planet
by abby86
Summary: The entire city of Metropolis went black causing everyone in the Planet to panicked. Read more to find out how the Planet managed to meet their deadline despite the blackout.


It's Christmas Eve once again where thick snow covered the streets of Metropolis, Christmas carolers melodiously singing to contemporary Christmas tunes and people going in and out from malls doing last minute shopping. It's the merriest and most joyous occasion to most people in the world and hardly anyone despised it.

The Daily Planet was decorated with striking and colorful Christmas ornaments with loud Christmas jingles blasting throughout each floor. Jimmy was in charge of the secret Santa gifts and had completed his task days before by distributing the names to each staff member.

SLAM!

Lois slammed her phone down and growled. Chloe on the other side of the room wondered what happened and walked towards her to see what gone wrong. "Hey cuz, are you okay?" Chloe inquired.

"I'm just a little stressed out and my family is making it worse," answered Lois as she gave a loud sigh.

"Wanna fill me in?" 

"Okay, I'm trying to be a good daughter and sister by giving them a call and dad is always busy and Lucy has disappeared off the face of the earth again. I always wanted to celebrate Christmas with my family and they're not helping" explained Lois, looking disappointed as she slouched in the chair.

"Well, at least you've got me," said Chloe, stroking Lois' shoulder tenderly.

"I know and thanks," thanked Lois appreciating Chloe's presence in her life.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Jimmy marched towards them in a red Santa hat, holding a gift in his hand.

"Look, who's happy?" Lois rolled her eyes out of annoyance and continued her work.

"What's up with her?" Jimmy asked Chloe, curiously.

"She's just upset because her family is not returning her calls" shrugged Chloe.

"Aww, here's something to cheer you up. I'm your secret Santa," Jimmy presented the gift he was holding to Lois.

"Thanks," thanked Lois as she tossed the gift aside.

"Aren't you going to open it?" asked Jimmy, feeling unappreciated.

"It's not mistletoe inside it, is it?" mocked Lois, while shaking the gift to get a confirmation.

"Why do think that?"  
"Because you're such in a hurry for me to open it."

"Oh, c'mon! I'm not that desperate."

"Fine!" Lois unwrapped the present roughly, tearing each part of it into small pieces including the beautiful bow that Jimmy spent hours tying.

Jimmy's jaw dropped after witnessing what had happened to the expensive wrapper and ribbon he bought.

"You gave me a shampoo!" Lois reacted in shock.

"Well, it's not just a shampoo. It's expensive and I didn't buy it from Wal-Mart. I'm sorry Lois, I've been thinking of what to give you and this is all I could come up with," said Jimmy, feeling disappointed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. Thanks again, anyway," Lois felt guilty of what she had done and gave Jimmy a warm hug to express her gratitude.

"Speaking of secret Santa, I haven't received my gift from my secret Santa yet," Chloe interjected, feeling a bit frustrated.

"Erm... That's because... I'm your secret Santa," said Lois nervously. "I haven't had the time to go shopping yet and since you're my cousin, I was hoping you'd understand."

Chloe's eyes widened; surprised that Lois hadn't got her anything. "It's okay, at least I know who my secret Santa is and I'm glad it was you instead"

"We'll go for some last minute shopping after work, okay?" suggested Lois.

"Okay"

"Jimmy, could you turn off those annoying Christmas jingles?" Lois ordered Jimmy.

"I can't. Grant wants us to listen to it, hoping that it'll lift our Christmas spirit up so that we work faster," explained Jimmy.

"But it's annoying and it's making my work flow even slower."

All of a sudden, the elevators doors flung opened and Clark and Kara emerged from it. "Hey, guys," said Clark, noticing Chloe and Jimmy gathered around Lois' desk.

"What's up, CK, Kara," Jimmy greeted them. "What brings you two here?"

"I was taking Kara shopping and decided to drop by since we're in Metropolis," replied Clark.

Lois recognized the tone in Clark's voice and knew that something was not right. "Are you okay, Smallville? Where's Lana?"

"I'm fine Lois. Lana is spending her Christmas with Aunt Nell," answered Clark, tensely.

"Yeah, right," Lois smirked at him with her arms folded and suspected that something had gone wrong.

"Clark just broke up with Lana," Kara finally answered on behalf of Clark.

"What!" Chloe and Jimmy exclaimed in unison.

"Ah, so you went shopping to release your emotions? The last time I checked, only girls do that," said Lois, sarcastically.

"Kara wanted to go shopping so I took her around," Clark defended himself.

"So, you both are going to spend Christmas together like a family I assumed," said Lois , disappointedly.

"Yes and I'll be flying to Washington with Kara to celebrate Christmas with my mom," clarified Clark.

"Oh, great, everyone is celebrating it with their families except me. But at least I've got Chloe here with me," Lois and Chloe glanced at each other appreciatively.

The power in the newsroom suddenly went off shutting down every computer and electrical appliance, leaving the room pitch dark. Everyone panicked and sighed in exasperation. Clark got closer to the window and saw that every building in Metropolis' power supply was slowly fading away, leaving the once bright and colorful streets less merry.

"Damn! I forgot to save my story and now it's gone," Lois yelled in exasperation.

"I saved my story but it's not done yet," sighed Chloe.

"It looks like the entire city is blacked out as well," Clark informed them.

"Everyone kindly gather outside Mr. Gabriel's room now!" said a voice in a demanding tone.

Everyone scurried off and gathered outside Grant's room using their spare torchlight and lighters to light up the room from darkness. The Planet was in a pandemonium state with their system down making it impossible for them to meet their deadline before Christmas.

"Okay, can I get your attention please?" Grant gave two thunderous claps to get their attention. "It seems like the entire city is out of electricity and I need your cooperation. I know that your deadline is due but don't worry I'll find a way to for you to get back to work."

"How? All our work is computerized," argued Lois.

"Well, I've already found a way and long before computers were invented people in those days managed to print out newspapers without electricity. So, I'm suggesting that we type our stories with all the typewriters we can find and print them using a linotype machine. I've got an old friend who knows how to run the machine. Now, everybody get back to work! Chop! Chop!" ordered Grant.

The whole staff of the Daily Planet hurried off and searched for typewriters to finish their work.

"Lane! Olsen! I need to see you in my office now!" commanded Grant. Lois and Jimmy attended to him in his office, which is beautifully lighted with candles. "I need you two to go out there and find out the source of the blackout and if possible I need a story out of it. It'll make The Daily Planet look good if we manage to print out a story of the blackout by tomorrow for Christmas"

"Sounds like a good idea," said Lois with glee.

"Good, now get out there!" Grant ordered them who looked thrilled and excited because they don't have to stay in a dark newsroom depending on an old typewriter to finish their work.

Every newsroom in the Planet was lighted with candles for the staff to do their work. Lois and Jimmy walked back to their individual desks with a smile plastered on their faces while Chloe suspected something unusual about it. "Why are you guys smiling when we're having a crisis?"

"Oh, Grant assigned us to do the story on the blackout," answered Lois happily.

"What? That's not fair," retorted Chloe because she has to stay at the Planet to complete her lengthy story while Lois and Jimmy are out there covering one of the biggest stories.

"Don't worry cuz. Your time will come. By the way, I need someone to help me type my story while I'm away," requested Lois, eyeing directly at Chloe.

"Don't look at me, I'm already busy with my own one."

"I'll help you," Clark jumped in their conversation and volunteered.

"Are you kidding? The only skills I know you have is fixing a tractor and stacking hay. Basically farm related stuff. What do you know about typing from a typewriter which I find hard to do myself?" Lois tried to debate with Clark.

"Wanna bet?" Clark challenged her.

"You want to bet?" Lois crossed her arms and shook her head in disbelief.

"Yeah" Clark gave Lois a smirk, confident that he might win.

"Okay. If you win, I'll... I'll kiss you." Lois can't believe she said that but managed to mask her face from blushing.

"Sounds good to me and if you win, I'll..." Clark tried to think about a stunt to do if he lost and something naughty just came into his thoughts. "I'll strip naked"

Chloe and Kara's jaw dropped when they heard that and couldn't believe that a boy scout like Clark would pull a stunt like that. But they realize that the intensity of their chemistry has been building up slowly between them.

"Deal!" Lois extended her hand as Clark grasped it to seal the deal.

"Are you ready, Lois?" asked Jimmy all geared up to go with his camera.

"Sure."

Clark glanced through Lois' draft and to his horror, Lois handwriting was like a child's penmanship blindly scribbled on a paper.

"Nice penmanship," teased Clark.

"I told you it wouldn't be easy. Good luck typing it," Lois punches Clark on the shoulder and headed off to the stairs with Jimmy. Luckily for them, their offices are in the basement making it convenient for them to get to the car park.

"Clark, can I go check on them? I think it'll be safer if I guard them while they're investigating," Kara requested for Clark's permission.

"No, you stay put over here," Clark disallowed.

"I can do this Clark and I promise to keep myself invisible. Besides, I'm bored here," Kara stared at Clark and begged with her puppy dog eyes.

Clark could not resist it and decided to allow her to check on them. "Go ahead and be careful."

"Thanks," Kara thanked Clark and immediately dashed off.

Clark quietly studied Lois' handwriting and figured all the words out and arranged them in order by using a new blank piece of paper to avoid confusing himself. After proofreading it, he began typing it rapidly battling against the speed of light. Chloe couldn't concentrate on her work because she was in awe watching Clark use his superspeed ability to do something useful.

"I'm done, but it still needs a little touch up." Clark make use of the bottle of white liquid and use it to erase necessary errors.

"Wow, that's not fair. Could you do it for me?" Chloe inquired.

"Do it yourself!" taunted Clark.

Chloe crossed her arms and sulked. Clark felt awful and decided to lend in his help after all. "I'm just kidding, I think in situations like this anyone can use my help"

Clark sat at Chloe's desk and began typing away within a couple of minutes. Chloe gazed around making sure that no one suspected what Clark was doing. Upon completing it, Clark blew the fumes away from the typewriter caused by the pressure of his workmanship.

"Both of your stories are now ready to be submitted," said Clark proudly of his labor.

"Thanks," Chloe thanked Clark and gave him a hug.

"I just heard that the linotype has arrived and I wish that I could do something to quicken the process," suggested Clark.

"How are you going to quicken the process?"

"I'll just do something to distract the guy working on it and fiddle with the machine so that it could work faster."

"That's a good idea. But everyone has to submit their work first before they start operating it. But I'm glad that you're finally using your ability to do something useful."

"I have these abilities and I always knew they would come in handy some day."

"I'm proud of you, Clark. Anyway, I need to get this to Grant immediately."

"Okay."

Meanwhile, at the Metropolis power center Lois and Jimmy heard the sound of sirens blaring with red and blue lights flickering from the distance. Once they arrived, the place was flooded with police officers investigating the incident. Lois boldly walked up to one police officer for authorization to enter the premise.

"Excuse me, Sir. I'm Lois Lane and this is Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet and we're here to investigate the blackout incident," Lois introduced herself.

"Sure," the police officer replied. Lois then asked some questions pertaining to the blackout while Jimmy wandered around and took some snaps of the incident.

Kara flew there in time and hid herself from being noticed. She then made use of her x-ray vision to find suspicious clues on the power centre and attempted to do her own investigation while Lois was still busy interviewing the police officer.

"So, you are saying that someone cut the main cable that leads to every building in Metropolis?" confirmed Lois.

"Yes, and we managed to find some fingerprints and we've already sent it to the crime lab to locate the person," answered the police officer.

"How long does it take to fix it?"

"We're not sure, we're still waiting for a new cable and it'll take a long time to get it fixed."

"Okay, thanks for your time," Lois shook the officer's hand and gestured Jimmy to leave.

"So, what did you get so far?" questioned Jimmy.

"Nothing much, except that the main cable has been cut off. I think someone hates Christmas. I guess we'll have to go to the crime lab now and find out who this person is."

"Yup, and once we catch this person we got our exclusive story."

Kara followed them like a guardian angel making sure that no one followed or harmed them on the way.

The sun had set on a dead and murky city without the power of electricity to make the city look Christmassy. The once beautiful Christmas decorations in the streets were concealed in darkness, making it looked like a dull Christmas Eve. It'll be a few hours till Christmas and Lois and Jimmy just left the crime lab with all the information they gained.

Kara on the other hand, was still keeping a lookout for them. As they made their way back to the car, a mysterious figure appeared behind them and attempted to hit them with a baseball bat, but fortunately for them, Kara managed to prevent it by using her heat vision from a distance to heat up the bat that caused him to release it and roar in pain. Lois then got hold of the bat and knocked him out causing him to collapse. Jimmy seized him and they turned him in to the police.

Surprisingly enough, the man that attacked them was the culprit that's responsible for the blackout. Apparently, he's a lonely man with no home or family and hated Christmas, thus cut the main power supply so that no one could enjoy Christmas. The reason he attacked Lois and Jimmy was because he's afraid that they might expose him and he's not ready for that kind of exposure. But it's too late because it's a huge story and the citizens of Metropolis were dying to know the culprit that ruined their Christmas.

Lois and Jimmy made a quick exit from the police station and drove straight to the Planet to get the story done because time is running out. Kara continued to follow them from behind until they arrived at the Planet safely. Once they got on their respective floors, Lois settled down at her desk and immediately prepared the story. Jimmy on the other hand went and processed the photos using the dark room. Chloe didn't get a chance to chat with Lois but she knew that Lois' had something huge by looking at the perseverance she put through the story.

Kara went down and joined Clark at the newspaper factory and lends her hand in making the linotype machine work quicker without the workers noticing. Grant barged into the basement where Lois and Chloe worked to check on the status of the story that Lois had gathered.

"What have you got so far?" asked Grant.

"Everything we need. Jimmy and I have investigated the place, took some pictures, almost got hit by a mysterious guy who happens to be the culprit of the blackout and finally caught him," Lois answered with glee while struggling to type the story on the typewriter.

"That's good stuff. I'm proud of the both of you. Well, everyone has submitted their story and went home and I need to get home too, so is it possible to get it done as soon as possible? Your story is the last one and I need to submit it for printing," requested Grant.

"I'm working on it. Don't worry, I'll guarantee you that it'll be done before midnight," Lois promised.

"Okay, I'll be in my room waiting," Grant then left the basement as Lois carried on with her work.

Chloe heard the whole conversation and felt slightly jealous but since it's going to be Christmas, she pushed aside that feeling. But there's a thing or two that Chloe could learn from her cousin, Lois.

"You don't have to wait here for me, Chlo. You can go home since you've finish your work," said Lois, giving a quick glance at her and continued typing.

"It's okay, cuz. Besides, what is family for?" Chloe comforted Lois and patted her on the back. "Do you need any help?"

"No thanks, unless you want to help me type using this machine?"

"No thanks."

It took Lois an hour to get the story done and Jimmy had processed the photos and it's ready to be submitted along with Lois' story. Unfortunately for them, the power was still out and the authorities are in the process of rectifying the problem. Clark and Kara are still in the factory, clandestinely using their ability to speed up the printing process.

Lois and Jimmy marched into Grant's office and hand in their story and photos. Grant gestured them to take a seat and studied their story and photos. They waited in anticipation for Grant's final answer, while he read and glanced through the story and photos. Grant's lips curved to a smile after he finished reading it and congratulated them. "For a very short period of time to complete this story, I must say that I'm proud of you, Lois. The photos that you took are more than good enough too, Jimmy." 

"Thanks," Lois and Jimmy said in unison.

"But there's some changes in the story and I'll correct it for you and send it immediately for printing and if I don't see you again, I want to wish you both a Merry Christmas," Grant wished them.

"Merry Christmas to you too," Lois and Jimmy replied in unison again.

"And Lois, I don't know how you planned it but the other story of yours was the first that reached my desk, followed by Chloe's. Well done," Grant congratulated her.

"Thanks," Lois frowned in confusion at first and remembered that Clark had lent his hand to help her finish the story and it ended up being the first story that landed on Grant's desk. Lois was amazed that a farm boy like Clark was capable of doing it and he eventually won the bet.

Lois sighed in frustration and began to grumble because she has to kiss Clark. She got back to her desk and sat quietly, wondering where Clark was. Chloe and Jimmy knew about the kiss and kept quiet about it to avoid getting murdered by Lois. While Lois was still lost in thought thinking about the kiss, Clark appeared together with Kara.

"How's the story going?" asked Clark, eyeing directly at Lois who ignored Clark's gaze.

"It went well. I mean we caught the culprit and hopefully they'll fix it before the sunrise so everybody could celebrate Christmas."

"That's good. Umm... so are we forgetting something?"

"No, but follow me," Lois waggled her index finger, indicating Clark to follow her. Clark was confused but decided to follow her instruction.

Lois led Clark to the stairway doors that was lit up with some candles and entered it. Lois then shut the door closed while Clark shrugged to the rest of them who are as confused as Clark. After door was shut, Lois faced Clark and prepared herself to kiss Clark.

"I don't know how you did it but I've lost the bet so..." Lois cupped Clark's face into her hands and brought his lips down to hers and pressed against them. Clark did not budge, but opened his mouth wider to allow Lois to roam further into his mouth.

Clark then pulled Lois into his arms and brought her closer and continued brushing on Lois' lips. Lois realized something was not right and pushed him away. Clark was baffled by Lois' sudden action as to why she stopped. "What's wrong, Lois?"

"Have I kissed you before? Because I felt like I did."

"Well, maybe it's just a déjà vu of what happened during Valentines."

"No, I don't think so. The kiss that we just shared felt real, it's like I remember every detail of it."

"Lois, do you remember kissing me in reality?" Clark knew what Lois meant and she was right. Clark had indeed kissed Lois in reality and it was real but the problem was he wasn't himself when he did it. It was the Green Arrow.

"You know what? Forget about it and let's get inside." Lois blushed a little as she opened the door and gestured Clark out.

The rest of them wondered what happened between them and Chloe noticed that Lois' lip-gloss was smudged all over her lips, while Clark had some little smudges of it on his. Chloe smiled to herself and ultimately knew what went on.

"You know if you guys want to do that you don't have to hide it from us. Besides, we're all family," Chloe gave each of them a smirk.

Both Jimmy and Kara knew what Chloe meant and got excited about it. Clark then grabbed Lois by his arms and pulled in another kiss but this time more passionately. The three of them cheered in excitement as they continued to kiss.

"I never knew that you're such a good kisser," Lois complimented Clark. "You know something, I'm glad you won the bet because I wouldn't have found out what a good kisser you are and I've seen you naked enough."

"Thanks, I have to admit that you're not so bad yourself."

Clark was afraid that Lois might figure about the Green Arrow façade after complimenting him for being a good kisser. But he was glad that she didn't even suspect it.

The power might be still out, but it's not preventing them from having their little Christmas Eve party at the Planet. They lit up more candles to bring back the Christmas sprit as Lois opened a bottle of champagne that she received from Grant earlier that morning. They chatted and laughed like a happy family. 

Despite the blackout, it didn't stop the citizens of Metropolis to celebrate Christmas Eve either. The streets might be in darkness but the Christmas spirit within them brightened up the atmosphere by singing Christmas carols and chilling at home with their families, feeling safe and secure.

The clock struck twelve in the morning as cheering and laughter could be heard throughout Metropolis as families began wishing each other Merry Christmas while the kids played outside in the yard throwing snowballs at each other. The rest of them at the Planet wished each other while humming the Merry Christmas song. They then gave a group hug and enjoyed each others presence as one family.

Meanwhile at the Luthor mansion, Grant dropped by to wish Lex Merry Christmas and clinked a glass of champagne with him. Christmas was not destroyed after all, because with or without electricity, Christmas was still in the air, powered by the unity of family. Even the lost and lonely felt a sense of belonging during Christmas regardless of not having a family.

As the morning dawned, the electricity had finally revived and everyone received a Christmas issue of The Daily Planet on their doormat. On the headline, it read "The Grinch That Brought Darkness to Metropolis" by Lois Lane. It also displayed a large sized picture of the supposed Grinch.

**The End**


End file.
